A railing around the front porch.
A new front door with an impressive decorative glass window.
Planters with tall skinny shrub on either side of the door.
The shutters look too skinny for the windows... maybe replace with wider shutters.

I would also hire a landscaper to see if they can give ideas for your landscaping.

There are some great ideas here already; you might also want to submit some pics to the magazine's Photoshop Redo column by emailing [email protected]. If your house is selected to run in the magazine, you get professional suggestions from an architect, with a Photoshop rendering to show what it would look like.

I was wondering if there was anything typical for the age of your house in your area? I grew up in Michigan and so many of the houses seemed to have a lilac bush on the side of their houses - as an example. Perhaps a modern interpretation of a traditional practice?

I really think a useable front porch would be attractive, somewhere to sit and enjoy the view and have a welcoming feel. The railing would help that. I also strongly agree with the comments regarding color - that responsed helped me, too, as I have the same concern with my house.